Microorganisms are the main drivers shaping the functioning and equilibrium of all ecosystems, contributing to nutrient cycling, primary production, litter decomposition, and multi-trophic interactions. Knowledge about the microbial assemblies in specific ecological niches is integral to understanding the assemblages interact and function the function, and becomes essential when the microbiota intersects with human activities, such as protecting crops against pests and diseases. Metabarcoding has proven to be a valuable tool and has been widely used for characterizing the microbial diversity of different environments and has been utilized in many research endeavors. Here we summarize the current status of metabarcoding technologies, the advantages and challenges in utilizing this technique, and how this pioneer approach is being applied to studying plant diseases and pests, with a focus on plant protection and biological control. Current and future developments in this technology will foster a more comprehensive understanding of microbial ecology, and the development of new, innovative pest control strategies.

Positive crop yield effects from biochar are likely explained by chemical, physical and/or biological factors. However, studies describing plant allometric changes are scarcer, but may be crucial to understand the biochar effect. The main aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of biochar on root architecture under field conditions in a tropical setting. The presented work describes a shovelomics (i.e., description of root traits in the field) study on the effect of biochar on maize root architecture. Four field experiments we carried out at two different locations in Zambia, exhibiting non-fertile to relatively fertile soils. Roots of maize crop (Zea mays L.) were sampled from treatments with fertilizer (control) and with a combination of fertilizer and 4 t.ha(-1) maize biochar application incorporated in the soil. For the four sites, the average grain yield increase upon biochar addition was 45 +/- 14 % relative to the fertilized control (from 2.1-6.0 to 3.1-9.1 ton ha(-1)). The root biomass was approximately twice as large for biochar-amended plots. More extensive root systems (especially characterized by a larger root opening angle (+14 +/- 11 %) and wider root systems (+20 +/- 15 %)) were observed at all biochar-amended sites. Root systems exhibited significantly higher specific surface areas (+54 +/- 14 %), branching and fine roots: +70 +/- 56 %) in the presence of biochar. Biochar amendment resulted in more developed root systems and larger yields. The more extensive root systems may have contributed to the observed yield increases, e.g., by improving immobile nutrients uptake in soils that are unfertile or in areas with prolonged dry spells.

The aim of the study was to investigate the forest in the national park on the Blue Maiden Island and compare with mainland forest data. The study was made in a quantitative way. The results from the field measurement were related to data from the Swedish National Forest Inventory.

Oak, Scots pine and Lime were the most common tree species and constituted 47, 18 and 16 % of basal area, respectively, on the island.

The mean heigt was 7 m and the volume of living trees was on average 72 m³/ha and dead wood 30 m³/ha. The average age at breast height was 137 years and the oldest tree was an oak with the age of 335 years at breast height. The amount of dead wood constituted 40 % of the total volume. Disturbances have had influence on the forest on the Island. To what extent cannot be determined without further investigations.

The safety of several azo colouring agents, used as food additives, has during the years been questioned. Allura Red AC (E129) has in some publications been classified as genotoxic. In fact, in the European Union, Allura Red is permitted as a food additive in human food, but, surprisingly, it was not acceptable as an additive for use in animal feed. In this study we have evaluated whether Allura Red is genotoxic using a flow cytometer-based micronucleus assay in peripheral blood of mice. Male FVB mice were given a single intra-peritoneal injection of various doses of Allura Red and sacrificed at 46 h after treatment. The tested doses were 0, 100, 200, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500, and 2000 mg/kg body weight (b.w.). Each dose group constituted three mice, except for in the dose group of 1000 mg/kg b.w., which constituted four mice. Blood samples were collected and the frequency of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (fMNPCE) and the cell proliferation (%PCE) was determined. The analyses did not show any significant difference in the %PCE or in the fMNPCE. Consequently, under the testing circumstances one can conclude that Allura Red is not genotoxic.

In this study, different growth conditions of Anthracophyllum discolor Sp4 including the effect of agitation, additions of lignocellulosic support, inducer and surfactant were evaluated on the MnP production in Kirk medium using a culture system made up of the tubes containing the glass bead. The highest MnP production (1,354 U/L on day 13) was obtained when the medium was supplemented with wheat grain and 0.25 mM MnSO 4 as inducer, under static conditions at 30°C. Two isoenzymes were purified (35 and 38 kDa respectively). MnP presented a maximal activity in the pH range between 4.5 and 5.5, a relatively high temperature tolerance (50°C) and a high catalytic activity for 2,6-dimethoxyphenol and hydrogen peroxide.

This study assessed the decay resistance of Pinus leucodermis wood to the brown-rot fungus Coniophora puteana. Based upon the median weight losses of 30.65% for heartwood and of 34.68% for sapwood obtained in the biological tests, both the heartwood and sapwood material examined was classified as not durable (durability class 5) according to the CEN/TS 15083-1 classification. Total extractives were low, 3.93% in heartwood and 1.00% in sapwood, while lignin content was 22.60% and 25.41% in heartwoodand sapwood, respectively. It is highly recommended to use protective treatments before using P.leucodermis wood in outdoor conditions.

Values of pure moduli of elasticity (PMOE), experimental modulus of elasticity (MOE) in static bending and moduli of rigidity (GLR, GLT) were calculated in juvenile and mature black locust defect-free small wood specimens after loading in static bending alternately on true radial and tangential surfaces. For both juvenile and mature specimens, no significant differences (t-test, 95% probability level) were found between the radial and tangential moduli of elasticity and rigidity. Values of PMOE were found to be 27–32% higher than the corresponding values of MOE at the 15:1 span-to-depth ratio.

IntroductionRemoval of extractives increases the shrinkage and swelling of wood (Nearn 1955, Salamon and Kozak 1968, Cooper 1974, Taylor 1974). The effect of progressive extraction on the above properties has not been investigated much. In oak (Quercus conferta L.), a forest species rich in extractives, the shrinkage progressively increased with progressive extraction (Voulgaridis et al. 1980). In black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), much of the main-stem volume is comprised of heartwood, characterized by the presence of dark yellow-brown extractives. While the extractives of black locust give the heartwood its distinctive color and decay resistance, they comprise only 6.2 to 8.3% of the dry weight of the main stem (Stringer 1992). Hot-water extractives range from 5.2 to 8.6% (Hart 1968, So et al. 1980). The present study was primarily undertaken to determine whether the progressive removal of hot-water extractives affects the radial and tangential shrinkage of black locust heartwood.

Promoting sustainable raw material management and increasing the recycling of waste wood and waste rubber are two strategic thrusts that open large domains for new technologies and innovations.

This project, in line with objectives of LIFE+ Environment Policy & Governance aims to increase resource efficiency through the utilization of these wood and rubber wastes through the manufacturing of new products based on innovative mixed composites (wood/rubber). This new products will constitute an alternative for the utilization of other traditional and less eco-efficient products in the residential and civil construction sector.

Moreover, the project will provide a novel end of life route for wood waste managers and rubber waste managersʼ products and entities a new environmental friendly product to public and private construction sector.The use of these products will increase the carbon storage in buildings and replace other building materials which are less environmentally friendly towards carbon storage and emission, both in production processes and raw material use.

The recovered wood category to be utilised will be waste wood from households (furniture, doors, windows, floors, etc.). This material is chemically contaminated by glues, lacquers, paints and coatings but not by preservatives. After collection, the waste wood material will be chipped and processed in the form of chips without any prior biological, thermal or chemical treatment. This is an innovative approach since the removal of all these chemicals is difficult and time/ cost consuming.

Recovered rubber form tyres in the form of particles, free from other materials as wires, ropes, synthetic fibres, etc., will be utilised with recovered wood chips or sawn timber for the production of innovative composite products by thermal processes.

This project is in line with latest research in wood &#8211; rubber applications (Yang et al. 2004, Zhao et al. 2008).

Disregarding shear effects is a principal defect in predicting the bending strengths of small clear specimens of timber according to standards. The present study proposes a method to determine spans of 2 x 2 cm wood specimens of black locust and chestnut for shear free deformations in static bending. It was found that for both ring-porous species, spans of at least 40 cm in a bending test would ensure a negligible influence of shear on modulus of elasticity.

The relationship between wood density (WD) and fibre length (FL) with cambium age (CA) and ring width (RW) was studied in two ring-porous species, black locust and coppice-grown chestnut, collected in the Sithonia Peninsula, Chalkidiki, Greece. Using regression analysis methods, models of WD and FL in relation to CA and RW were obtained. It was found that the effect of CA and RW on WD and FL was similar for both species examined. WD of black locust and chestnut was predicted better through a model using CA and RW. A model for FL variations was also obtained with CA and RW and was more accurate than the simple models based on the two factors, CA and RW, separately. The multiple regression models suggested that the use of cambial age of growth rings together with their width might explain better their effects on WD and FL of black locust and chestnut.

The experimental production of gypsum-based products (cylindrical samples, solid bricks) using different fractions of wood chips and rubber particles was studied. Recovered rubber and wood materials were mixed with gypsum and water in various proportions to fabricate gypsum-wood and gypsum-rubber cylindrical samples and standard solid bricks with six holes using appropriate molds. It was shown that to manufacture gypsum-wood and gypsum-rubber products with good mechanical strength, coarse fractions of wood and rubber should be used, but the proportion of wood or rubber should not exceed 25%. No thermal conductivity differences were found between the wood-and rubber-type of gypsum products, and particle size and material proportion had no effect. Samples with fine wood and rubber particles present at a lower proportion (25%) exhibited similar sound absorption behavior. The solid bricks had slightly higher strength when loaded at the large surface of their lateral upper side than when loaded at the small surface. The bricks provided better thermal insulation than both the extruded and pressed house bricks but lower than that of insulating bricks. The emission of volatile organic compounds out of the bricks was at an acceptable level according to regulations for construction products.

This study was conducted to explain the tensile strength loss of wood due to the modification with 1,3-dimethylol-4,5-dihydroxyethyleneurea (DMDHEU) and glutaraldehyde (GA). Modified and control wood blocks were macerated to deliberate fibres, and handsheets were produced thereof. The nitrogen content of the fibres indicated that maceration removed the major proportions of DMDHEU. The stability of GA in wood during maceration was not assessed. Tensile strength determined at zero span (z-strength) and finite span (f-strength) was equal for the handsheets from DMDHEU-modified fibres and the control handsheets. The microscopic appearance of the tested finite-span paper strips from DMDHEU-modified fibres mainly indicated interfibre failure and did not differ from the fibre fracture mode of the control handsheets. In contrast, the z-strength of the handsheets from GA-modified fibres was lower than that of controls and decreased with increasing content of GA in the initial modified wood. The f-strength behaviour of the handsheets from GA-modified fibres was the opposite: it was higher than that of controls and increased with increasing GA content. The microscopic appearance of the rapture zones of the finite-span testing mainly indicated intrafibre failure for the GA-modified fibres. It was concluded that cross-linking is likely to be the major reason for tensile strength loss of GA- and DMDHEU-modified wood. In terms of DMDHEU-modified wood, the incrustation of the cell wall by the resin and the reduction in pliability could play an additional role.

This article defines age of transition from juvenile to mature wood in two ring-porous species, black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) and chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.). A logistic function was proposed using fiber length and ring width data of three black locust trees, aged 35-37 yr, and five chestnut coppice trees, aged 25-27 yr, from Sithonia Peninsula, Chalkidiki, Greece. The approach proved to be practical and objective in delineating maturity zones, and it was based on rate of change of yearly fiber length. The juvenile wood zone spread to the sixth growth ring from the pith in both species, whereas the demarcation of juvenile and mature wood was at age 12 and 14 yr in chestnut and black locust, respectively. Transition zone width comprised rings 7-12 in chestnut and rings 7-14 in black locust.

It was studied the recovery of wood chips from waste particleboards by immersion in water at ambient temperature and by mechanical treatment (agitation and impact, waterblasting). Four different categories of waste particleboards were used, with and without coating, after their reduction in smaller pieces with dimensions of about 7 × 8 cm. The investigated methods were: (I) immersion for 3 days-impregnation with vacuum and pressure-agitation and impact (II) immersion for 7 days-drying-rewetting for 12 hours-agitation and impact (III) immersion for 3 days-waterblasting. The maximum thickness swelling (about 90%) was achieved by immersing the particleboards in the water for 3 days, and therefore the vacuum and pressure impregnation step can be omitted in practice. Recovery of wood chips was significantly higher (51.54%) in the case of successive wetting and drying cycles compared to simple immersion in water (17.32%). Both these methods I and II, involving agitation and impact for recovering wood chips from waste particleboards, are easily applicable at the industry. Method III with waterblasting resulted in complete recovery of wood chips within a very short time, but its application requires more research

Wood structure and topochemical distribution of lignin and phenolic extractives in Juniperus excelsa Bieb. were investigated using a mature specimen, aproximately 80 years of age, from the Rhodope mountains, Greece. The wood of J. excelsa was found to possess the same qualitative anatomical features as those reported for other Juniperus species of the Western Hemisphere. Quantitative anatomical characteristics recorded for mature wood (heartwood and sapwood) included earlywood and latewood tracheid length, double wall thickness of earlywood and latewood tracheids, lumen diameter of earlywood tracheids and ray height. Scanning UV microspectrophotometry revealed a pronounced lignification of J. excelsa tracheids with detected absorbance values of the secondary cell wall layers being much higher in comparison to all other softwoods studied using this technique. The cell corners and compound middle lamellae were characterised by relative high UV absorbance values as compared to the S2 layers. The phenolic compounds deposited in the axial and ray parenchyma cells possessed higher absorbance values than cell wall associated lignins and had a different spectral behaviour due to the presence of chromophoric groups. According to the obtained UV absorbance spectra, more condensed phenolic compounds were deposited in the heartwood than in the sapwood.

This study examined basic characteristics of stem wood produced in Pinus brutia Ten. reforestations in Northeastern Greece. Sixteen dominant trees growing at good and medium site qualities were felled at 14–22 years. Site quality classification was based on site quality surrogates and confirmed by using site index curves that were created for a neighbouring area. Discs were taken at three stem positions (base, middle, top) to study variations in ring width, latewood proportion and dry density. Generally, at both good and medium sites, ring width was found to increase towards the top of the stems while latewood proportion and dry density showed a negative relationship with stem height. Radial variability trends were similar at all heights, and at both sites, revealing a rapid increase for ring width in the first 3–6 annual rings followed by a decrease towards the bark, a gradual increase for latewood proportion and no specific change for dry density. Comparisons between wood material produced during the same growth period (2005–2001) showed statistically significant differences among sampling heights in all cases except for dry density in medium sites. At the base of the stems, mean ring width and dry density were significantly (P ≤0.05) higher at good sites (3.6 mm and 0.53 g/cm3) than at medium sites (3.0 mm and 0.50 g/cm3). However, the differences between the sites are of small magnitude and therefore have limited practical impact on wood processing. The availability of such data is useful in utilising small-dimension timber of brutia pine.

Corrugated packaging production is currently facing the challenge to ensure a satisfactory strength of packaging despite the continuous increase in recycled paper as the main fibrous component. This research addresses a very common technical problem for the corrugated board industry – the difficulty of predicting the properties of paper products produced from heterogeneous sources. Grammage and structural density, being easily available data, were examined as quality parameters of the most common categories of packaging paper in Europe. Grammage, ranging from 100 to 225 g/m2, has been found to be a dominant parameter for estimating the strength properties of paper.

Unlike static bending, toughness is a mechanical property less commonly measured in clear wood. The paper presents results on the relationship of toughness and modulus of elasticity in static bending based on DIN standard tests on small, clear specimens of spruce, 2×2 cm2 in cross section.

Cross-sectional discs were cut at breast height from 19 black locust trees aged 18–39 years of different clones and origin (Greece, Bulgaria and Hungarian clones J, U and NY). Ring width, latewood proportion and dry density were measured according to standard laboratory techniques in order to examine their relationships. Latewood proportion was found to increase (except for one tree from Bulgaria) with increasing ring width and logarithmic equations were calculated with relatively high correlation coefficients. A positive relation between dry density and latewood proportion was found in black locust of Bulgarian origin and in the Hungarian clone NY while in all other cases no meaningful relationship was observed. In mature wood, improved positive linear correlations were observed between dry density and latewood proportion with the exception of the Hungarian clone U. Regression analysis revealed low correlations between dry density and ring width and only black locust from Bulgaria had a high positive correlation. The positive correlations between dry density and ring width were slightly improved in mature wood with the exception of clone J from Hungary.